Storms ⌲ Sebastian Sallow

18. ✭though the love has always been✭

☼Modern Soundtrack: Slow Down by Chase Atlantic☼

~

As the weeks faded away, it was getting close to summer. I was ready to be back at home... if I even had one left.

In the weeks past, there was no sign of Sebastian in Potions, Herbology, or even Defense of the Dark Arts. It was as if he practically fell off the face of the earth.

I confided in Poppy in our dorm during the early hours of dawn.

"I'm not sure what to do. I'm quite afraid..." I spoke quietly, hoping Adelaide would not hear.

"Sebastian is undeniably on his own, there's nothing you or your love can do to save him," she whispered back.

"But, I haven't felt this way I feel. It is as if he is tethered to my very being. Without him I feel lost," I explained. Suddenly I noticed Adelaide stir in her sleep and push herself up from the bed.

"I... I was just like that. Last year, Sebastian gave me the world, but he also took it away within seconds..." she mumbled - still half asleep.

"Can I ask what happened between you two?"

"We were on top of the world, 'till we weren't. He saw me across the room and decided I would be his next prospect. The next Hufflepuff, little, endearing girl for him to take under his wing," she sighed.

"Adelaide, I'm so sorry," I spoke.

"There is no need to be. To be quite frank, I'm rather concerned for you. You were just another pretty Hufflepuff girl he set his sights on. I knew you were going to end up like me the minute we met." I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"So it's over, you say?" I asked, my breath slowing, but my heart beating faster than ever.

"It never started."

____

Next week during Astronomy class, I sat down next to Garreth. He looked happier than usual, maybe because his biggest competition was no longer around.

"As we finish up class, remember students that the solar eclipse is tonight, make sure to look out for it!" Professor Shah said. Everybody began packing up their things and putting their telescopes away.

"Did Sallow get expelled?" Garreth asked me slowly and quietly. I shook my head.

"Why is everyone asking me where he is? I haven't heard anything from him in practically ages," I explained with a despondent frown.

You see, one would think I would have more time now to focus on these studies. But, no, my academic motivation has been on a steady decline before, during, and after I had known Sebastian.

I was just a little more sad now, crestfallen. Unable to fully grasp or comprehend the events that had taken place just a month prior.

"Sebastian!" I remember crying out. He just gave me a melancholy glance that held no truth.

The night he killed his uncle was the night I knew nothing would ever be the same.

"Celestial," Garreth spoke, stiffening his posture and breaking me out of my trance. "You've got to know that boy was trouble."

"Trouble, trouble, trouble," I echoed thoughtfully. "Everyone insists on telling me he is nothing but trouble... and... maybe they are quite right, maybe I made the mistake to love him, to trust him, to understand someone like him."

"What is your point?" Garreth asked, almost annoyed.

"No matter how much heartbreak he has given me, he was and always will be my best and most greatest adventure."

"Every story has its ending. Let me be the one who writes a new one for you," Garreth said and I smiled at him. "An even better story that does not have a bad ending."

"What do you suppose that would entail?"

"Come with me, to the pond down in Hogsmeade Valley. We could go for a night swim... And, if I have learned anything from Astronomy, tonight is the Solar Eclipse..."

"I would be worried if you didn't listen to that, as she just said that a mere two minutes ago...

"You'd be surprised how much information I actually retain. I'd like to believe perhaps this is the one class I can excel in," he smiled. "Now, come with me. Your next adventure starts now."

____

As the night settled Garreth and I sat down next to a sparkling pond. It was right across from Hogsmeade and Feldcroft, a humble town.

"Look! There it is!" Garreth shouted as he pointed up to the lavender sky.

The clouds covered the eclipse just barely, but it was nevertheless beautiful. The whole atmosphere was practically painted in all different hues of purple. Truly a sight to see.

Garreth wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him, making the gap between us incredibly narrow. His emerald eyes locked on mine and I studied him for a moment. His golden-red hair was much longer, much curlier. He seemed a lot happier.

Before I knew it, I was pulled into a sudden kiss. It was short but exhilarating. He tasted like sweet strawberries I used to pick with my parents as a kid.

I pulled back, but it didn't bother him. I think he knew I had a billion thoughts racing through my mind. Have I betrayed Sebastian? I couldn't have. He hasn't spoken a word to me in months...

He just turned to look back at the solar eclipse. I took a deep breath. Did I enjoy that? Perhaps this could be the new adventure I never knew I needed.

I laid on his chest and felt him breathe. He did not seem nervous or out of place. It seemed as if he was waiting for this moment his whole life. However, I could not complain. I had also felt a comfort like no other, maybe it was the calm before the storm, maybe it was the unmoving sense of solace I've always needed - a sense of stability and safety I never thought I'd achieve. Something I haven't felt with Sebastian.

You see, with Sebastian, our love was different. It was wild, crazy, and electrifying. But, with Garreth, it was slow, steady, and circumspect. I wasn't sure who to pick... who to love.

I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber, dreaming of lying in a field of lilacs and irises; a periwinkle saccharine dream.